


Fernando Alonso Having A Perfect Day

by whcalmwaves



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-29 00:41:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6352027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whcalmwaves/pseuds/whcalmwaves
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A feel good story after the shock in Aus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fernando Alonso Having A Perfect Day

**Author's Note:**

> I wan’t planning on writing anything soon after my last story, but Sunday happened. I remember reading a prompt sometime last year about writing something with Fernando Alonso having a really good day, and I thought that was a great idea. I’m sorry I can’t remember who came up with that idea though. So if the originator of the idea is reading this, I hope you don’t mind me borrowing it. This story is for you, and for all the (long suffering) Alonso fans ;). May the perfect day really come soon….
> 
> (Please excuse the bits of dodgy Spanish. Google translate can only do so much for me)

The day dawned bright and beautiful. Fernando woke up early on the day of his home grand prix, all ready to go to the circuit. The week had been incredibly busy but things had gone on swimmingly so far. This being his home grand prix, there were countless demands on his time, besides his actual job to drive. Interviews, press conferences, sponsor events, autograph sessions….his schedule was filled to the brim and he had almost no time to eat or breathe. But Fernando didn’t mind it too much. He was happy to be back in his home country, happy to see his home fans, and most of all happy to race in his home race.

The practice sessions and qualifying had gone well, in fact, exceptionally well. Not one glitch with the car or PU during all the sessions for both him and his teammate. All the upgrades to the car worked and a newly upgraded, more powerful PU was fitted in his car as well. He couldn’t remember what name the PU was given though, only that the crazy but funny tweets from his tweeting PU had made him laughed. It was cheering him on wildly and even did a little animated PU dance via Twitter when he got into Q3 and qualified fifth, the best position since his tumultuous adventure in his current team had begun. When he returned to the garage, the whole team was excited and applauded both his and Jenson’s efforts. His teammate had done well too, making into Q3 and would start in seventh. Ron, Eric and Hasegawa-san all looked pleased and quite relieved. It had indeed been a wonderfully smooth start to kick off the European round of races.

Still, points are scored on Sundays, and they could not afford to relax before the main event. Fernando, Jenson and the team had worked late into night to review the data and discuss different strategies for the race. They decided on the optimal strategy, but at least a dozen others to cater to different situations depending on how the race panned out. 

Now on the big day itself, Fernando wanted to go to the circuit early, as per his usual habit. His parents and sister were all here to watch him race and they were staying in the same hotel. He met them for breakfast at the hotel café before heading to circuit first. Even though it was quite early in the morning, a large number of fans had already turned up at the circuit and many were lined up along the entrance to the paddock. His arrival caused quite a commotion, with many of his fellow country men and fans here to support him, and they were all scrambling for his autograph and photos.

Fernando obliged as much as he could, signing autographs, posing for selfies, shaking hands, giving hugs and even getting pecks on his cheek from the more enthusiastic fans . Everyone was thrilled and gave their hero all their well wishes for the race. It got a little too crowded though as more and more gathered, and the security had to help move him along. He was about to walk towards the paddock entrance when out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a little girl, sitting on her father’s shoulders looking rather forlornly at him walking away. He could not bear to disappoint the young child so he turned back and walked towards the little girl who became very excited.

“Fernando!” She squeaked.

“Hola!” He smiled at her.

Her father beamed at him too. Fernando wondered if they wanted his autograph as they did not hold out anything for him to sign. His puzzlement did not last long though as the little girl shyly held up a stuffed lion toy with a fluffy mane, dressed in the Asturian colours, and pushed it towards him.

“Fernando, buena suerte!”

“¿Para mi?”

The cute little girl with her hair tied neatly in two long braids nodded her head quickly, her eyes shining with excitement and her cheeks turning a sweet rosy red.

Her father added with big smile, “Queremos desearle la mejor de las suertes, Fernando!”

Fernando was very touched as he accepted the Asturian lion. He saw that his name was sewn neatly on the little lion’s blue shirt with the words “El Mejor Piloto” next to it. It was such a wonderful gift from the father and daughter. 

“Muchas gracias! Esto es genial. Se me va a traer suerte!”

Fernando wanted to give something back to them for the gift. He removed his cap, autographed it and passed it to the little girl, before posing for a photo together with them.The father and daughter pair were really happy to receive the gift and expressed their thanks, wishing him good luck again. He signed many more autographs before finally walking into the paddock.

The paddock was already a bustle of activity as the teams were all getting ready for the race. There were photographers trying to snap photos and TV crews looking for their next interviewee. Naturally Fernando was the center of attention as he walked along, with many cameras zooming in on him. After so many years in the circus, he was used to it all, despite his shy nature not liking all these attention. He was finally about to step into the McLaren motorhome when there was a tap on his shoulder.

“Hey, mate. Long time no see!” It was a most familiar Australian accent.

He turned to see Mark looking at him with a big grin and he could feel himself smiling back.

“Mark! So good to see you!”

“Good to see you too, mate. How are things?”

“Not bad. Things are getting better in fact.”

“Yeah, we can see that the Mc-Honda has been making good strides over the last few races. And you were superb in yesterday’s qualy too. Well done!” Mark congratulated him before continuing, “Mate, I’m here with the crew from C4.” He pointed to his colleagues who were standing some ways behind him, “Just wondering if we can have a few words with you on camera?”

“Oh, sure.” Fernando couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that it was because of work that Mark approached him. He knew that Mark was coming this weekend, they had exchanged some texts, but they had not managed to meet up so far. Still he was happy to talk to him, even if for an official interview. It was Mark, after all.

So Fernando put on his best camera face and answered all of Mark’s questions, on the progress of his team to his expectations for the race.

“Well, thank you very much Fernando,” Mark said as they rounded up the interview, “Maybe we will see another of your fantastic starts like in 2011 and you will reward your fans with a podium at your home race!”

“Thanks! I hope so too.” Fernando smiled at him as the cameras stopped rolling. The crew moved away, leaving both of them facing each other.

“I’ll catch up with you again later, Fer,” Mark said softly in his ear, “All the best for the race! I’m sure you will be fantastic, I’ll be cheering for you!” He pulled Fernando in for a brief hug before turning and walking away to catch up with his crew.

Fernando felt his heart skipped a little with Mark’s words and hug, his earlier disappointment totally dissipated. He walked into the motorhome with an added spring in his step. 

 

Fernando and Mark had not seen each other since the season opener in Melbourne. Despite what had happened to him during the race that Sunday, there was something else that was pleasant which he remembered from that day. After his amazing escape from harm, there was a lot of fuss on him from everyone, his team monitoring him to make sure he was all right, family, friends and fellow drivers wanting to know that he was well, and media wanting to talk to him about the incident. He bore it all in his stride, grateful for the concern and feeling incredibly thankful that all he suffered was some slight bruises despite the severity of the crash. He was getting quite exhausted though, and when the team doctor and his physio finally left his hotel room after checking him again, he was happy to be left alone. He crawled into bed, thinking that a good night’s sleep would help him forget what had happened in the day. Despite how tired he felt, he could not get to sleep. The adrenalin from the day had long worn off and he was starting to feel sore all over, particularly in his knees and ribs. The incident kept replaying on his mind and he could not help thinking what he could have done differently to prevent it. It was a racing incident and no one was at fault, but still he thought he could have done better. He then started thinking about the state of his car and the PU, and the loss of an opportunity to get a good start to the season in terms of scoring some points. All these thoughts kept him wide awake in spite of how exhausted he was.

A soft knock on his door brought him back from his thoughts. He assumed it must be his physio checking in on him so he opened the door without checking who it was. To his surprise, he saw a familiar tall figure standing at his door.

“Oh! Hi, Mark.” 

“Hey mate. Sorry, I hope I didn’t disturb you?”

“No, not at all. Come in!” He ushered the Australian into the room.

“Just thought I’ll drop by to see how you are.” Mark said, concern showing on his face.

“I’m fine, as you see, still in one piece!” Fernando grinned cheekily.

“Good that you can joke about it now, but you gave us all a big scare. That was one massive shunt!”

“Yeah, it was. It was pretty scary, barreling through the air and landing upside down. But I guess I was envious of how you flew in your car in Valencia and wanted to try it out.”

Mark chuckled at his reference to his own awful accident in 2010, “Yeah? I hope you had fun flying around in yours. But seriously speaking, it’s pretty amazing how we both got to walk away from such big crashes. We have to really thank the improvements in the safety standards that kept us from harm. And I think this is something that we should celebrate. That’s why I brought you these,” he held up the carrier that he was holding, and took out a bottle of champagne and a box of fine Australian macadamia chocolates, “I think you deserve a sweet treat after the ordeal today.”

Fernando’s eyes lighted up seeing these, “Wow, you remember that I like macadamia chocolates! I haven’t had these for years. Fabri used to keep me from going anywhere near these every time I come to the Australian GP! But why the champagne though? I’m not anywhere near the podium, I didn’t even finish the race!” He pouted a little as he thought of the dismal result again.

“No, not quite, but I think you are the big winner today. You managed to walk away unharmed from such a big shunt. I cannot imagine if….if…” Mark closed his eyes and heaved a sigh, then continued sincerely, “I’m really so happy that you are not hurt, Fer. I….” he swallowed and paused, looking like there was something he wanted to say but was unsure how to say it. He looked at Fernando intently, his eyes appeared a little brighter, even under the dim lights of the room.

Fernando felt the air in the room seemed to have thickened, his breathing hastened as he looked back at Mark in anticipation, wondering what he was going to say next. But the Australian seemed to change his mind as he took a deep breath and smiled lightly instead, saying simply“ That’s why I brought the champagne!”

“Oh, yeah. You’re right, of course! Let me go get some glasses for this” Fernando started to walk towards the side panel at the living area, thinking he could probably find some wine glasses there. Mark noticed the limp as he walked and he quickly caught up with him.

“Mate, let me get it. You should sit down.” He guided Fernando gently towards the couch and sat him down, before retrieving two champagne flutes that the hotel had very helpfully left in the side panel. He popped the champagne but without the usual mess and poured two glasses as he sat down next to the Spaniard.

“Here’s to a much smoother year for you!” They clinked their glasses in a toast and sipped at the bubbly. Fernando was not much of a drinker but he did enjoy tasting champagne, especially on the podium. He had not the opportunity for that in a while, but Mark’s champagne tasted even sweeter for him at that moment.

They fell into an easy conversation, talking about what they had been doing since they last saw each other in Abu Dhabi the year before, while eating the chocolates and drinking champagne. Fernando joked that he would have to cycle many extra miles to get rid of all the calories that he was taking in but Mark assured him that it was all right to occasionally indulge, especially after the day that he had.

Fernando started to feel a little drowsy, due to the champagne coupled with exhaustion, but he did not want the evening to end so soon as he enjoyed Mark’s company tremendously, so he tried his best to keep his eyes open. The Australian noticed his droopy eyes and wanted to leave so that he could get to sleep, but Fernando pleaded with him to stay. He had not seen Mark for so long and he really missed his company. He suggested that they catch a movie on TV so that they could chill out a bit more, to which Mark agreed. When he switched on the TV, it was coincidentally broadcasting a repeat of the race with Mark commentating.

“Don’t think you want to watch this, mate?” Mark thought Fernando should relax and watching the race wasn’t exactly conducive for that.

“But I want to, you are commentating! I need to hear it. Anyway, they are already showing lap 20 now and I haven’t seen the rest of the race yet.”  
The Spaniard was quite excited to be able to watch the race and hear Mark’s commentary, which was excellent. They had a great time talking about the strategies that unfolded as the race went on. Gradually, they fell into a comfortable silence as they continued watching the race. Fernando found Mark’s voice from the TV strangely soothing, even though he was actually commentating on a high speed F1 race. He felt calmed by it and with the tiredness again catching up with him, he thought he would close his eyes for a minute, resting his head against the back of the couch. 

When he next opened his eyes, he felt a pleasant warmth around him. He was still on the couch, but there was a blanket wrapped snuggly around him, while his head was nestled on Mark’s shoulder. He jolted up in embarrassment as he realized the position he was in.

“Sorry, I fell asleep,” he said sheepishly.

“No worries, mate. You do need to rest. Besides, you didn’t drool so it was not a problem, but you did snore a little.” Mark grinned teasingly at him.

Fernando laughed but still felt awkward with the situation. By then, the race had almost concluded and Mark told him that he really should leave so that he could turn in for the night. Fernando thanked him for coming by and wished him a goodnight as he walked Mark to the door. He was about to open the door to leave, but paused and stood for a moment, looking at Fernando gently. To the surprise of the Spaniard, the taller man leaned forward and embraced him in his arms , whispering softly, "I'm really so glad you are all right, Fer." He turned and left, leaving Fernando a little dazed, but filled entirely with warmth from the contact and sentiments expressed.

 

The Spaniard was brought back to the present from his pleasant memories by a bump on his shoulder and an arm wrapping itself around his shoulder.

“Hey, buddy! Are you having a pleasant day dream? I called you so many times but you didn’t hear me!” Jenson was right next to him.

“Oh, hi Jenson. Sorry, I was just thinking about something.”

“You mean thinking about someone? You had that kind of look on your face.” His teammate was wagging his eyebrows up and down, looking a little comical. 

He tried to ignore the teasing and rolled his eyes at him. Thankfully Jenson changed the topic.

“So, good vibes for the race?”

“Yeah, I think we have a good chance to do well.”

“I think so too. As usual, may the best man win!” Jenson gave him a pat on the shoulder and went on his own way.

Fernando went into his cool down room to deposit his back pack before proceeding to the garage. He brought the little Asturian lion along as he wanted to put it in his garage as his good luck mascot, and placed it at his usual perch on top of the cabinets at the back of the garage. He greeted his mechanics, who were already hard at work, doing the final preparations to get the car ready for the race. Andrea and Mark his race engineer, were there too. Fernando talked to them for some time to discuss some adjustments on the car. The three of them then proceeded to the conference room for a final strategy meeting with the management, some other engineers, and Jenson. The whole team was confident of a good result as they concluded the meeting. 

Fernando’s family had arrived at the paddock in the late morning and after the meeting he joined them at the hospitality for an early lunch. A few short interviews were arranged for him after lunch and he got through them just before the drivers parade. The drivers all gathered together before they head out to the parade in vintage cars, Fernando caught up with Carlos and a few other drivers. During the parade, the drivers were all greeted with loud applause and cheers. The loudest cheers were reserved for the local heroes, with the fans waving the Spanish and Asturian flags enthusiastically. Fernando was happy to see that the fans seemed to have returned in full force this year, with the stands all fully packed. When he and Carlos stopped for their by now customary stop to run up to the fans along the track, the crowd went wild, all clamoring to shake their hands. The two of them were provided with caps to give to the fans and they threw these to the eager crowd. Fernando tossed his own cap too, to the delight of the fans, but he took care not to take Carlos’ cap, remembering his own little blunder the year before. 

After the drivers parade, Fernando had some time to return to his cool down room. He had a bit of fun together with his physio, doing some slam dunking in the basket at his room. It helped him relax before the race and he found that he could focus better after that. Before long, he changed into his protective gear and race overalls, and headed to the garage, all ready for the race. He had some final discussions with the mechanics before they pushed the car out on track. As he himself walked out of the garage, he was greeted with a full grandstand of cheering fans applauding and calling his name loudly. There were many banners and flags hanging at the grandstands showing support for him. He waved to the fans as he walked towards the starting straight, which led to the fans cheering even louder. Fernando felt very much buoyant by the amazing demonstration of support for him. It motivated him even further to do well in the race.

The minutes before the race went by quickly and soon it was time to jump into the car. As Fernando pulled down the visor on his helmet, he was fully in the zone and all set for the race. The formative lap went smoothly and all cars pulled into their grid slot. Fernando was all ready to launch his car. The five red lights went off and away they went! 

The Spaniard made a lighting start and found a gap to power in front of the two Ferraris, which qualified on the second row. He slotted into third just behind the two front row Mercedes. His pace was good and he managed to keep up with the two cars in front. His car was not quick enough to overtake them though, but Fernando kept his head down and focused on keeping his car in third place. As the window for the first pitstop opened, Fernando and his race engineer opted to pit early to try the undercut. It worked perfectly and when Hamilton, who was running second, emerged from his pitstop a few laps later, Fernando had jumped him and even managed to be ahead by a good gap. The crowd roared with approval at seeing their hero doing so well against a much faster car. Fernando knew that the silver car would be catching him rapidly but he managed his ERS cleverly to maintain more than a second gap so that the Mercedes would not be able to use DRS on him. While he fought to defend from the second Mercs, Rosberg was pulling out a gap in front. Fernando knew that it would almost impossible to catch him, given the deficit in power in his own car, but he was not giving up yet.

As the second pitstop approached, Fernando was discussing with his RE on when to pit. He managed to keep his tyres in good condition and he was still running a good pace, so they decided to go for a longer stint, and then put on the options for the final sprint to the finish. They also considered about the weather, as there was a small possibility of rain forecasted during the race. While it did not appear likely to rain earlier, the weather seemed to have taken a turn for the worst as he noticed the sky getting darker. His race engineer warned him that rain was coming at any minute, and true enough, he started to feel drops of rain falling. The rain got heavier and most cars, including the two Mercedes dived into the pits for a change to intermediates. Fernando decided to take a risk and stayed out on his primes. From past experiences, he knew that the rain in Barcelona tend to be in short spurts, so he put his hopes on it being so this time as well. He was now in the lead, but it was very hard driving on slicks on the wet track, with his car slipping and sliding at times. He was re-evaluating his choice with his race engineer, thinking whether he should also come in for a change in tyres. But just then, the rain stopped abruptly, just as it started. With so many cars on track, it also dried quite quickly, making it hard for the intermediates to work so the cars which pitted for inters had to make another stop to change into slicks again. Fernando also went in to change into a set of options for his final stint and came out well in front of the Mercs as they did an extra pitstop. The rain had certainly played into his hands this time. 

The race was not over however, and Fernando knew that the Mercedes would be catching up very quickly. True enough, the gap to Rosberg decreased rapidly, as he ran very aggressively to catch up. He was the only challenging Mercedes though, as Hamilton had fallen further down in position in the tight field of cars due to a spin. Fernando was also told that the cars behind were Sainz and his own teammate, both of whom also did not pit for the wet tyres. 

Fernando was determined to do all his could to hold on to his lead. He did his best to keep his pace up but with five laps remaining, he could see the Mercedes in his wing mirrors. He kept his cool and again cleverly managed his ERS to keep the pursuing car out of DRS range. With three laps remaining, the Mercedes seemed to launch into full qualifying mode with engine power turned to the max, and the might of the Mercedes PU carried Rosberg to just two tenths behind with an overtake seemingly imminent. However, Fernando managed to defend superbly and held on to his position. At that crucial moment, he was fully focused on keeping his car ahead. It was thus with some surprise that he could not see Rosberg in his wing mirrors when he looked again. His race engineer came on and told him, in a rather jubilant tone, that his pursuer had spun out of track, probably due to his worn tyres, and had rejoined way behind. In fact, his closest competitors were now the Torro Rosso and his own teammate, but they were of some ways behind.

Fernando could not quite believe that the threat from the Mercedes was over, but he kept his excitement in check and focused on keeping his car going for two more laps. They seemed to last forever, but finally he could see the chequered flag after coming out of the final turn. He could also see many of his team members climbed up on the fence next to the finish line, cheering and waving ecstatically at him, holding a P1 sign board, and waving the Spanish and Asturian flags. He sprinted to the final straight and crossed the finishing line, taking the chequered flag in an incredible first position.

His race engineer, an otherwise cool and calm Englishman, was screaming over the radio, “Fernando, you are first! You have won the Spanish Grand Prix! So amazing! We are so so happy. Congratulations!”

This was followed by a familiar Italian accent, “Fantastico Fernando! Fantastico. Super Super! We are so proud of you, so proud of you!”

“Thank you, thank you to all of you. It is because of all of you that we could do this. The car is wonderful today!” Fernando was overwhelmed by a rush of emotions and he could feel tears welling in his eyes. He did not expect to win this race at all. It was so incredible to be able to take this first win with his team, after going through such difficult times, and in his home race too! Despite suffering so many set backs for more than a year, they had proven that they could do it, and just like his team, he was simply overjoyed.

As his car slowed during the cool down lap, he could hear the thunderous cheering from the fans everywhere. They had all risen to their feet and were clapping and chanting his name. The marshals were also saluting him and one even brought him a Spanish flag. Fernando knew that he might be sanctioned for accepting the flag, but at that moment, he could not care less. He thanked the marshal for the flag and held on to it proudly as he drove his car back into parc femme with the Spanish flag fluttering in victory.

The Torro Rosso and the other McLaren were already parked at the second and third positions at parc femme. After Fernando entered and parked his car at the first position, he quickly got out. Jenson and Carlos jumped to him at once and they hugged each other, congratulating one another on their excellent results. The team was also gathered around, proudly looking on. Fernando and Jenson ran towards them to celebrate. Everyone was cheering, laughing and some even crying at this incredible moment as they hugged and congratulated their drivers, who in turn thanked them profusely. 

The boys were finally ushered away into the podium room to await the ceremony. They have calmed slightly from the euphoria and started to talk about the race itself. Ron had joined them in the room as he would be accepting the constructor’s trophy. Even Ron, who was as calm and collected as they come, was in a jubilant mood. He congratulated them happily and even gave both Fernando and Jenson a tight hug each (which shocked them quite a bit).

The podium ceremony soon followed. The Spanish fans were ecstatic to see both of their local heroes on the podium in a 1-2 position and the cheering was unbelievably loud as they walked out towards the podium. Fernando could again hear the chanting of his name as he stood on the top step. The podium was such a special one too, with Carlos enjoying his first podium in front of the home fans, and with Jenson, his teammate who had grown to be a buddy.

The Spanish National anthem played, a familiar tune that was missing for far too long on the podium. This again brought tears to Fernando’s eyes as a fresh wave of emotions washed all over him. He could see so many happy faces amongst the crowd gathered under the podium. His parents and sister, looking so fondly and proudly at him, his team members who had slogged day and night to improve the car and now finally able to savour the sweet taste of victory, the bosses, Eric and Hasegawa-san who were both beaming with pride, knowing that their perseverance had paid off, and the fans, so many of them who were supporting him through thick and thin, and now they were celebrating his triumph. He spotted amongst the fans the little girl and her father who had given him the little Asturian lion, he waved at them as he thought that the mascot had indeed brought him good luck. The pair were thrilled and waved back at him, very happy that their favourite had spotted them amongst the crowd. Like them, this special podium would always be imprinted in Fernando’s mind. 

As Fernando proudly hoisted the winner’s trophy high up over his head, the crowd below roared with approval. To the Spaniard, the whole situation from him crossing the finishing line in first place right up to that moment as he received the trophy felt surreal, but the solid feel of the trophy finally gave him concrete evidence that this was indeed all happening. With adrenalin still running very high, what happened next seemed to past by in a flash. They popped the champagne, with Jenson and Carlos happily dousing him with the bubbly to salute the winner. Then they ran forwards and rained champagne over the crowd below who were still cheering wildly. 

Next it was the podium interview. To Fernando’s surprise and utter delight, Mark was announced as the podium interviewer! It didn’t seem possible, but the day had just gotten even better. As the Australian walked briskly to the podium, Fernando practically bounced towards him with the former quickly catching him in a big bear hug. He did not think that he could feel happier but he just did, on seeing Mark on the podium his heart felt at that moment like it might burst.

“What an amazing race we just had! Congratulations to all three of you. You all drove superbly and are well deserved winners!” 

Mark started his interview with an acknowledgement to the three of them before turning to interview the winner first.

“Fernando, fantastic start from you! You made all the right calls for the race and did some amazing defence at the end. Tell us, how did you managed to keep the Mercedes behind?”

Fernando replied with thanking first and foremost his team, which had really nailed everything this weekend, and explained the strategies that they took which were possible due to what he attributed as a good dose of luck with the timing of the rain and conditions of the track, as well as wonderful support of the team. Mark complimented him on his driving, saying that the victory would not be possible without his outstanding driving. He then turned to Carlos and Jenson with questions on how they felt to be on the podium and their thoughts of the race, before returning to Fernando, asking him the significance of this win and how it might impact the season going forward.

“Well, I think this win was a little bit unexpected. But it was certainly a testament to the hard work of the whole McLaren-Honda team and it showed that we are going on the right path. We have suffered a lot last season and we didn’t have an easy start to this season, but things are definitely improving at an incredibly fast rate, so I am confident that the rest of the season we will be even more competitive. I am very happy and proud to share this podium with my teammate Jenson, we both worked closely together with the team in order to move the development of the car forward. I am also very privileged to be able to work with all the fantastic men and women in McLaren and Honda. We will continue to stay united and work hard together as a team to reach our goals of being a championship winning team. And a big thank you also to all the fans here who are simply amazing. Your support has given me so much encouragement and motivation. I hope to see you again next year! Gracias!”

With the conclusion of the podium interview, the winners stayed on for a few more minutes to salute the fans, before eventually being ushered into the post race press conference. The press conference was more packed then usual, the greater interest no doubt due to having a local hero as the winner as well as a podium who were for once not from either the sliver or red teams. Most of the questions were directed at Fernando, and he answered all of them patiently.

When the press conference ended, Fernando and Jenson returned to their team garage where everyone was still in a jubilant mood and champagne was on free flow. There was an incredible atmosphere at the garage, with lots of hugs, handshakes, pats on the back and all manner of celebrations going on. To celebrate this wonderful first victory for the team, the rocket red victory t-shirt was brought out for everyone and the whole team posed proudly for photos to commemorate this special triumph.

Fernando, being the race winner and at his home grand prix no less, was the center of attention from the media, as they all rushed to interview him. He was pulled to interview after interview from one part of the paddock to another. It was rather tiring after almost two hours of racing, but Fernando took it all in his stride and answered all interviews with a smile.

After a few rounds of interviews, there were still some waiting for him, but his PR officer managed to hold them off to give him a breather and brought him back to the team hospitality where she told him with a smile that Andrea was looking for him. The Italian was indeed there waiting for him, and he told Fernando that he needed to talk to him in his cool down room.

Fernando was a little puzzled by his request, but they proceeded along. As he opened the door to his room, he was greeted by a big surprise. The small room was crowded in a sea of red! His mechanics and engineers from his former team were there, at his room, to offer their congratulations! He quickly walked into the room as they applauded him, exchanging hugs and handshakes. The whole room was abuzz in Italian as they excitedly told him how happy they were to see him win and how proud they were of him, and Fernando telling them how glad he was to see them. Roberta, his former PR officer was there as well and after offering her congratulations with a big hug and a peck on his cheek, she handed him a little box, saying it was from the Ferrari team chef, who had wanted to come congratulate him but could not manage to get away. Fernando opened the box to see four exquisitely decorated cupcakes, and was instantly touched by how the chef remembered that these were his favourites. 

As he talked excitedly with all his former team members, he was really moved by their heart felt congratulations. With him being in a rival team, he knew full well that their actions would not be looked upon with approval from their boss, if he found out, and yet they still came to offer him their congratulations. As they came in stealth mode, they could not stay away for long and soon they had to leave. Fernando made sure to let each of them know how much it meant to him to see them here, and how appreciative he was of their gesture before they parted. The men and women in red quietly walked out of his room accompanied by Andrea. Fernando saw his PR officer standing outside, smiling and waving goodbye to them.

“Sylvia, did you and Andrea help to arrange this?”

“Well, I didn’t do much. Roberta contacted Andrea to arrange it. I just made sure that the coast is clear and none of their or our bosses are aware of this.”

“Oh, thank you so much! That was wonderful and it meant a lot to me! I am so happy to see them. Wait, come see this!” Fernando opened the cake box and showed it excitedly to her, “See, these are the Ferrari cupcakes that I told you about. The chef asked Roberta to bring them specially for me!” 

Sylvia couldn’t help but smile at how excited he looked over a box of cupcakes. It was hard to imagine that this highly acclaimed and respected word champion who also happened to be the grand prix winner of the day be so thrilled over such a small gift. But she knew very well that he was just really appreciative of the wonderful sentiment behind the cakes. Besides, she also knew from working with him for over a year, that beneath his tough competitive facade, there really was a shy boyish personality who appreciated the simple things in life rather than the pomp and glamour that the sport was often associated with.

“They look wonderful. I can see why you miss them so much. It was so good of the chef to send some to you. I think I will try to ask Roberta to smuggle some out for you the next time.”

“You will? That’s so wonderful of you. Thank you! Here, have some. You must try it!”

“Oh, but they are specially for you. You should enjoy them.”

“I will, but I can’t eat all of them. I will get fat and Fabri will scold me! Come on, try one!”

She relented and took one, and they both enjoyed a rare moment of tranquility on this eventful day where they could indulge in the sweet treats together. While they were eating, Sylvia told him that his family were settled comfortably at the hospitality area so he did not have to worry about them. She had also managed to push most of the remaining requests for interviews to the next race weekend, except for a last one with the Spanish TV crew.

“Ah, that’s great. I don’t think I can take much more of the same questions being asked in the same afternoon. But one is fine. Thank you so much, Sylvia, for taking care of me. I don’t know what I’ll do without you!” He thanked her sincerely.

“It’s my pleasure to work with you, Fernando. You have made the whole team so proud and happy! “ She smiled at him fondly.

Fernando’s phone buzzed indicating a new message. Sylvia told him that she will tell the TV crew to wait a little bit so that he could have some time for himself. 

“I’ll see you downstairs when you are ready,” she went out of the room.

“Grazie, Sylvia!”

His phone buzzed again with another message. They were both from Mark.

“Hey, mate! Still celebrating your win?”

“It was truly an epic win! Congratulations again!”

He quickly typed a reply, “Gracias! It was unbelievable. Everything was just so perfect today!”

“Indeed, you were perfect ;)”

“Well, it was the whole team. But thanks :). It was a nice surprise to have you doing the podium interview.”

“Yeah, had to share it with you!”

“Are you still around the circuit?”

“Yeah, got some interviews and wrap up to film. How about you?”

“I’m in my cool down room, but have to go for an interview with the Spanish TV crew soon.”

“Ah, I am sure they all want to hear from you. How are you celebrating tonight?”

“There’ll be a dinner with the team. Ron has promised to give everyone a big treat. My parents and sister are here, and they will come too. Do you have time to join us?” Fernando added the last question after hesitating for a few moments.

“Sorry, don’t think so. DC has made me promise to have dinner with him.”

“Oh, it’s ok. Maybe we can see each other the next time.” He was quite disappointed.

“Say, mate. Will you be still around Barna tomorrow? I’m staying for another day and was thinking about that tapas restaurant that you told me about?”

Fernando was actually planning to leave on a morning flight the next day but hey, flights were meant to be changed, he told himself.

“Yeah, I am. Tapas sounds great!”

"Excellent. Lunch?”

“For sure! Meet at eleven am?”

“Ok. But wait, lunch in Spain usually doesn’t start so early? :)”

“We can meet for coffee first ;) ”

“Sounds like a plan. You have a good time celebrating tonight. Call you tomorrow!”

“See you, mate!”

Fernando put down his phone, feeling very satisfied with what had been arranged. He would get to see Mark again tomorrow. For now, he knew he had to get back downstairs soon for the interview and then the debrief with the team. He took a couple more minutes for himself though, reflecting on the day. His incredible win was naturally the highlight, but there were many things that were very important to him too. Having his family with him, seeing how the team had emerged stronger and more united from the depths of the abyss that was last season, feeling the unconditional support from so many fans, knowing that his former team members still cared and held him in such high regard, and being hopeful that someone important to him felt the same way. All these were just as significant and all contributed to a glorious day where everything turned out so well.

It had indeed been a most perfect day for him, and tomorrow promised to be another perfect one too.


End file.
